The sky quickly brightened.
Accompanied by two servants, Li Chunfang arrived at Xu Jie's mansion early. Just as he was about to knock, he heard a creak and a familiar smiling face appeared.
"Brother Shi Lu, I knew you'd come, hahahaha..."
Xu Jie hadn't been in such good spirits for a long time. He stepped over the threshold, took Li Chunfang by the arms, and continued,
"Shall we go, then?"
Li Chunfang paused for a moment, then burst into laughter and said,
"Let's go!"
Hahaha,
The two of them let out hearty laughter that echoed through the alley. After walking only a few steps, seven or eight officials of the third and fourth rank appeared at the alley entrance. Seeing the two big shots laughing heartily, they also started laughing.
And so,
Xu Jie and Li Chunfang led the way, talking and laughing merrily as they headed towards the Forbidden City. The officials behind them grew in number, from seven or eight to dozens as they reached the main street, and within a mile, three to four hundred had joined them.
The officials discussed nothing in particular, merely chatting about everyday matters and strange anecdotes, their laughter drawing the attention of many onlookers.
"Isn't that Grand Secretary Xu?"
"What's going on?"
"Could there be some good news?"
"Bah! What good news? The Tu Man are about to invade!"
"Who said that?"
"I knew it first thing this morning! The Tu Man are preparing to enter from Gubeikou!"
"Nonsense!"
"I heard Yan Song and Yan Shifan have been arrested?"
"Hush..."
"..."
The common people chatted among themselves, curious about what Xu Jie and Li Chunfang were up to. Some smarter citizens had already guessed that old fox Xu Jie was likely out to harvest leeks. Last night's commotion suggested something major had happened in the capital, perhaps a clash between the Crown Prince and the Yan family. With the situation in a stalemate, Xu Jie had once again become a key figure?
The two old men led the way, naturally moving slowly. In fact, they were deliberately slowing their pace to allow more and more officials and scholars to join them.
The more relaxed and mysterious Xu Jie appeared, the more he impressed the officials. All the officials in the capital were aware of the current situation—
The Yan faction had been arrested by the Crown Prince, with repercussions reaching two to three hundred people!
While the charge was rebellion, the accusation seemed far-fetched. It was clear that the Crown Prince, unable to defeat the Yan family in Jiangxi, had been cornered by them. Enraged, the Crown Prince had retaliated, forcibly accusing the Yan family of rebellion. The claim that eunuchs like Li Bin had seized Yuxi Palace also seemed false. If it were true, why would the scene this morning be like this? There would be arrests throughout the streets!
In reality, even though many still harbored doubts, seeing Xu Jie and Li Chunfang so calm and collected dispelled their suspicions. After all, if the situation had truly spiraled out of control, these two old foxes wouldn't have shown themselves. Their appearance meant that the situation had taken a turn for the better, and the Crown Prince's indiscriminate arrests and detainment of officials would likely not continue. Since these two old foxes were heading towards the palace, they were naturally going to seek an explanation...
News of Xu Jie and Li Chunfang's leisurely stroll spread like wildfire, with everyone following them. Before they even reached Wumen, a vast tide of people had gathered behind them...
Li Chunfang looked at the majestic Forbidden City and suddenly stopped, sighing,
"Shao Hu, Yan Fenyi is not dead yet, is he?"
Xu Jie had also gathered some information last night. Just before Li Chunfang arrived, a director from the Ministry of Justice had reported: Huang Jin of the Directorate of Ceremonial, with the Imperial Guards, was guarding the Ministry of Justice's prison. Mu Chaobi had forced his way in with his men but failed and left before dawn...
At this moment, Li Chunfang's question prompted Xu Jie to smile and say,
"Brother Shi Lu, why don't you take a guess?"
"Then it's likely not?"
Li Chunfang had served under Yan Song for many years and knew how formidable that old demon was. He wouldn't be so easily killed.
Haha,
Xu Jie merely smiled without answering.
Li Chunfang glanced at him, already guessing, and sighed again,
"His body may not be dead, but his name is likely ruined..."
Mm-hmm,
Xu Jie nodded repeatedly and said,
"Indeed. Yan Fenyi served as sole Grand Secretary for twenty years. The world thought him a solitary peak, yet now he finds himself in such a predicament. Everyone now knows that even someone as powerful as Yan Song is merely subject to an imperial decree..."
At this point,
The two could not help but lament—
The formidable authority of the Yan faction had been broken!
It was like a Bodhisattva, once toppled from its pedestal, would no longer hold any reverence in the eyes of devoted followers... From this day forward, the Yan family had plummeted from grace. Even if they didn't die, they were as good as dead. At least, they would never again wield the same oppressive power as before.
...
Their joint decision to bring officials to the palace today was, naturally, to address the aftermath of last night's events.
Earlier, Li Chunfang had not spoken at Xu's mansion, yet their thoughts were aligned—
The Crown Prince's cruelty had chilled the hearts of all officials. Coupled with the urgent military situation in Liaodong, what the nation needed now was stability. Even if the Emperor intended to stay out of it, or even watch the Yan faction be purged with cold indifference, the Liaodong reports would force him to intervene. Even if he didn't actively intervene, he could not remain deaf and blind to the officials' pleas.
Their deliberate silence, without even a hint of their intentions, was to avoid any suspicion of private collusion. Xu Jie was overjoyed to see Li Chunfang when he left, knowing that half the battle was won, and he was deeply gratified that the officials also understood.
At this moment,
The vast throng entered the palace city.
Li Chunfang looked back and said,
"Shao Hu, why don't you guess what the Emperor will say?"
Xu Jie had been repeatedly humiliated by the Yan faction and forced to his knees by Bai Qichang. He had been confined to his home for months, not receiving a single visitor. Now, thinking of the overall situation, he shook his head and sighed,
"No matter what, since Yan Fenyi is not dead, he must be released..."
Mm-hmm,
Li Chunfang naturally agreed.
Xu Jie continued,
"How the court's affairs are handled is the Emperor's business, and it is not convenient for us to comment. However, the Tu Man invasion and the impending fall of Liaoyang are the most pressing matters..."
Mm-hmm,
Li Chunfang sighed,
"In fact, in our hearts, are we not also prioritizing the greater good? The events of these past few months have been very peculiar. I believe, if we can let it pass, let it pass."
Xu Jie gave a faint smile,
"We'll take it one step at a time..."
With that,
The two, having a clear understanding of the situation, strode forward directly towards the Western Garden.
...
Meanwhile,
Within Yuxi Palace, Jiajing had been meditating all night. Lü Fang was in a state of frantic busyness, not only managing the earth-shattering events outside but also attending to all the miscellaneous matters within the palace, his forehead beaded with sweat.
He wiped his brow and looked at Huang Jin, who was kneeling, and said gently,
"Jin'er, you've worked hard. Go and rest first..."
Huang Jin had blocked Mu Chaobi's assassins at dawn, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides, but he had managed to save Yan Song and his son. However, he was not in good spirits, feeling that it didn't matter if Yan Song and his son died, yet he was forced to save them. Even if it was destiny, what about the casualties? Were they just going to be forgotten?
At this moment, his face showed a hint of displeasure.
Lü Fang smiled and said,
"Enough, go back..."
Just as Huang Jin was about to retreat, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Chen Hong scurried over and whispered, "Old Ancestor, Xu Jie and Li Chunfang are leading thousands of officials to force their way into the palace..."
Lü Fang froze for a moment and said angrily,
"Don't talk nonsense! How could Grand Secretary Xu do such a thing?"
Chen Hong added,
"Old Ancestor, thousands of people are almost at the Western Garden... What should we do?"
Lü Fang pondered for a moment and sighed,
"Jin'er, you shouldn't rest yet. Go and visit Grand Secretary Xu and Grand Secretary Li... Hmm, speak courteously, do not offend them... Eunuch Chen, you go with them, do not let them barge in..."
He was not surprised by the current situation—
Xu Jie and Li Chunfang bringing the officials to the palace was naturally to seek an explanation. The Crown Prince's actions had chilled the officials, who naturally needed appeasement. However, the appeasement could not be excessive, so he appointed the mild-mannered Huang Jin to take the lead, with the more aggressive Chen Hong present to maintain order.
After they left, Jiajing, who had arrived at the palace gate at some point, gazed at the rising sun and felt that last night's turbulent events had been quite thrilling. Thinking that Prince Yu must have been terrified, he couldn't help but sigh softly,
"Where is Prince Yu?"
"He was in a secret residence for a while, but he returned to his mansion at dawn."
At this point,
He felt a pang in his heart: Prince Yu was originally a good person, but he had been forced to this point... Now that the officials and the Yan family were safe, the responsibility was entirely his alone...